Rat droppings found sprinkled on patisseries in London cafe

Rats living in the kitchen and droppings sprinkled over ready-to-eat snacks – it’s not the best advert for breakfast on the run.

But that’s what health inspectors found for starters when they called at a popular patisserie.

The decaying corpse of rat under a ceiling panel was also discovered, along with bread in a storeroom that had been gnawed on by rodents.

And to top it off, raw sewage was leaking into the yard of the cafe – a renowned snack stop for commuters, a court heard.

The patisserie chain’s boss, Ralf Biller, told a judge the Bonne Bouche cafe, in Victoria, central London, was regularly cleaned but staff were ‘fighting a losing battle’ as the area was overrun with rats and mice.

‘I am guilty,’ he told Westminster magistrates’ court. ‘But I hope any fine is the minimum. We’re a small business and times are not easy.’

The shop was closed down by Westminster city council in November last year, but has reopened after a refurbishment, the court heard.

Prosecutor Alastair Smith said: ‘The manager was aware droppings were under ceiling panels. When he moved them droppings fell on to equipment used to prepare food.’